I promise
by temafan
Summary: Six years have passed and Ty Lee finally goes to see Azula. However, it isn't the reunion she thought it would. R&R


A/N: Something I came up with sometime ago but removed it because I wasn't happy with it.

Summary: six years have passed and Ty Lee finally goes to see Azula. However, it isn't the reunion she thought it would.

Ty Lee walked through the halls of the Fire Palace in her green armor. Her grey eyes wondered around the building, remembering old happy memories she shared with the Fire Lord and his wife, and even Azula, her 'friend' she hadn't see in six years. Ty Lee cherished her relationship with the Fire Lord and Lady and even the Avatar and his friends, but somehow Azula always got her attention. Sure, Ty lee hadn't even talked or received any letters from Azula but she still considered her a friend. When Ty Lee grew out of her child like mind, she realized that she still had a bond with Azula but feared her wrath, that is until now, when she was informed Azula's treatment was complete. As Ty Lee made her way to the Fire Lord's throne room, she couldn't help but remember her past friend.

_It was a normal day in the Lee household. Ty Lee and her many sisters were playing together, their laughter and giggles filled their play room but five year old Ty Lee kept on looking outside the open window towards the entrance to the Lee household. _

"_what are you looking at?" asked a girl that looked identical to Ty Lee._

" '_Zula suppose to come play today, its my birthday." Ty Lee said with a sad tone when the princess had promised to come at noon and the sun was about to set. _

_The nobleman's daughter and the Fire lord's daughter had become an unlikely pair that made many adults worry. Ty Lee's mother and Lady Ursa were afraid Azula developing powers would somehow harm Ty Lee but both girls didn't care, their friendship, to Ty Lee, was the greatest thing in the world. _

_Suddenly red wood and cloth became visible as the Fire Lady's palanquin reviled itself in the entrance. Ty lee's grey eyes were filled with joy and happiness when she saw Azula stepping out of the cloth curtains. Behind the little princess came two guards carrying a large, red wooded, chest with golden corners and complicated designs of dragons that shimmered when the sun's fading rays touched them. _

_The pink girl quickly ran down stairs and opened the door where the princess was waiting, "why does it take you so long to open the door?" Azula said coldly as she marched inside, Azula's back was straight and her head was tilted up. "sorry, 'Zula."_

_The two guards came in and settled the large chest in the middle of the room, "you can leave now, guards" Azula commanded. Both of the guards bowed and exited the household. Azula walked up to the chest and opened the lid, "wow Azula, you're so strong!" Ty Lee complimented her friend but Azula ignored her. Inside the chest were toys, not ordinary toys though. There was a doll that looked so real it scared Ty Lee, a wooden tank that had every detail down to the last screw, a plush bear with a duck's bill and a beaver's tail, and many more. But the toy that always caught Ty Lee's eyes was a doll version of a Fire Lady, Ty Lee couldn't recognize the face but she adored everything else: he tiny golden crown, silk robe, and the simple beauty it held. _

_As for Azula, she always got the Fire Lord doll, like the Fire Lady doll, everything was exactly the same as the real life Fire Lord. _

"_lets play Fire Lord!" Azula ordered her 'friend'. Ty Lee happily nodded and sat down and wait for Azula to do the same. "I'm not a peasant. I will not sit on this dirty floor," Azula crossed her arms and wait for Ty Lee to get the hint. "I'm sorry, I'll go get you a cushion," Ty Lee got up and ran up stairs. After a few minutes she returned with a cushion in her small arms. Ty Lee placed the cushion under Azula and bowed, "I'm sorry." Azula sighed, "it's fine…." her voice softened up a little. The princess took her seat and started playing with her friend. _

_The sun was gone but both girls were still playing 'Fire Lord'._

"_I'll let all the villagers live," Ty Lee said with a smile, she moved her dolls arms towards the sky._

"_no! my best friend says they don't deserve to live!" Azula crossed the male doll's arms. _

_Ty Lee set her doll down and looked at Azula, "b-best friend? I thought I was your best friend." Ty Lee's jaw started to shake. "no…" Azula reached into the chest and pulled out a dragon plush, "this is my best friend! Its strong and powerful, like me!" Azula placed the dragon between Ty Lee's doll and hers. "I can be strong and powerful too!" Ty Lee said with a hint of jealousy in her voice. "no, you're weak!" Azula dropped her doll and crossed her arms, "even Zuko can beat you!" Ty Lee looked down and felt her eyes burn, "no… I'm your best f-friend." _

"_A Fire Lord cannot have a weak best friend. Me and my dragon will take over the world and then the universe!" Azula said proudly. Ty Lee couldn't held it any longer, tears overflowed her grey eyes and spilled onto her face. "why are you crying!" Azula said nervously, her chest always felt cold when Ty Lee cried. Azula reached towards Ty Lee and pulled her braid, "stop crying!" Ty Lee covered her face with her hands and cried even harder, "th-that hurts…." the future acrobat's voice was low and submissive. "I'm- I'm sorry" Azula let go of Ty Lee's braid and moved closer to the closest thing she could call a friend. "you-you're going t-to get your pan-pants dirty," Ty Lee said between sobs. _

"_I don't care, listen…" Azula felt her face heat up, "if… if you stay loyal to me you can still be my Fire Lady when we grow up," Azula looked at the dragon and knocked it off its place. "re-really? You-you mean it?" Ty Lee said as she wiped her tears away. "I'll give you the world… I don't need it if I'm going to take over the universe!" _

"_a-and all I have to so is stay loyal to you?" Ty Lee stood up and looked at the princess with her irritated eyes, "do you promise?"_

"_if you stay loyal… you can be by my side when we grow up," Azula said as she stood up. Ty Lee wiped the last tear of her face and smiled, "I promise!"_

"Hello, Ty Lee." Zuko greeted his friend. "hello, _Fire Lord_ Zuko." Ty Lee giggled when she addressed her friend by his title, it still felt strange to call clumsy Zuzu 'Fire Lord'.

"I am sorry but I cannot join you with your meeting with Azula. But don't worry, _she is no longer_ dangerous." Zuko said with a sad smile. Ty Lee turned to Mai who was sitting next to Zuko, "what about you, _Fire Lady _Mai?" Ty lee giggled again. "I cannot join you either, Zuko's child requires too much attention right now." Ty Lee frowned, "Fine…where is Azula anyways?"

"she spends _all of her time _in the outside garden of the palace," Zuko said with low voice. Ty Lee bowed and said her goodbyes before she left the royals alone.

"should she find out this way, Mai?"

"it's best that she does, I am sure she would have broken down in here if she heard the news from us."

~~~X~~~

Ty Lee exited the throne room and quickly walked down the halls while at the same time trying not to look rushed. When she reached the exit of the palace, a sad memory reviled itself to her. A long forgotten memory that Ty Lee hated because it should how she also had hurt the princess.

"_You are not going anywhere!" Azula said flustered when she saw Ty Lee's sac over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, 'Zula. But I can't stand my family anymore." Azula grabbed Ty Lee by her hand and started dragging back to the palace, "no! you are staying here!" _

"_why!" Ty Lee pulled her arm back. "because!" Azula paused and gulped, "because we're friends and you promised to stay by my side…" Azula said with a soft voice. "I can't, Azula! Please understand! I cannot deal with my family anymore!" Ty Lee turned towards the docks, "and you said it yourself, you don't need weak friends!" Azula clutched her fists, turning her knuckles white and cracking them at the same time, "you promised!" Ty Lee didn't say anything, instead she just ran to the passenger ship on the harbor. Ty Lee ran as far as she could but she could still see tears falling on Azula's boots every time she looked over her shoulders. _

Ty Lee paused when she finished remembering her bitter memory, "you never made anymore friends after I was gone…." Ty Lee said to herself. She now knew she had to rekindle her friendship with princess.

After a few minutes of walking, Ty Lee reached the garden and saw no one was waiting for her but a strange force was pulling her to the far corner where no plants grew.

Ty Lee gulped when she saw a large white stone with Azula's name roughly written on it's side.

"she died a month ago…" said a soft voice from behind the acrobat. Ty Lee started shaking and slowly turned to the voice. Ty Lee saw it was Mai, "w-why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"because…I knew you wouldn't have come if you knew she wasn't alive anymore."

"how can you say that!" Ty Lee snapped, "she was our friend!" Mai narrowed her eyes, "SIX YEARS you don't visit her, SIX YEARS of insanity and loneliness, But now that she is dead you suddenly care for her! Get over yourself, Ty Lee!"

"stop it, Mai!" Ty Lee fell to the ground with tears rolling down her cheeks. "do you know what she said before she died…? 'She Promised!'" Ty Lee pounded her fist on her thigh, "what about you! Huh? What did you do to help her?"

"she only wanted to see you, but you never came… I send you dozens of invites but you refused to come."

"I-I didn't now…." Ty Lee looked up at her friend, "how-"

"how she died? Well… six years of loneliness can really fuck with your mind. She killed herself, saying how she had no one by her side…"

Ty Lee started crying harder, "you-you promised me the world if I stayed loyal to you…and I promised I would… I was suppose to be loyal and your best friend….but I ended up hurting you more than anyone else…"


End file.
